Not Applicable
Not Applicable
1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains generally to devices and methods for removing corks from wine bottles, and more particularly to a cork removal apparatus in which an anchor is integrated with the cork, in which a cork-pulling sleeve with internal threads engages external threads on the neck of the bottle, and in which the cork is extracted by rotating the cork-pulling sleeve in relation to the bottle.
2. Description of the Background Art
Wine and a few other beverages are typically packaged in glass bottles that are sealed with a cork stopper. Although xe2x80x9ceasy-openxe2x80x9d containers such as snap-top cans and screw-cap bottles are well known, there are several reasons why easy-open technologies have not been widely adopted in the wine industry. Two particularly salient reasons are that (i) the aesthetic appeal of corked bottles is important to wine consumers, and (ii) no completely adequate means for quick and easy removal of corks, without the use of awkward, cumbersome, or clumsy auxiliary cork removing devices (such as cork screws, cork pullers, pressure pumps, etc.), has yet been invented that is also compatible with bottling lines.
A completely adequate means for quick and easy removal of corks from wine bottles must meet four basic requirements. The first is that the cork must provide an adequate seal against the inside walls of the neck of the bottle. The second is that a permanently installed pulling device must not protrude through the bottom or sides of the cork and it must not split or tear the cork because of the likelihood of resultant wine leakage and/or wine contamination. The third is that the cork and cork-puller installation into the wine bottle must not unduly complicate the present bottle-corking technology used throughout the industry. The fourth is that the cork must be easily extractable by the consumer without the use of cumbersome, awkward, or clumsy auxiliary devices. These requirements, however, tend to work against one another.
Therefore, a need exists for a self-contained cork and cork-removal apparatus that allows for xe2x80x9ceasy extractionxe2x80x9d of the cork while still providing an adequate cork/glass seal that meets the four basic requirements outlined above. As used herein, xe2x80x9ceasy extractionxe2x80x9d means that no cumbersome, awkward, or clumsy auxiliary equipment, such as cork screws that must be screwed into the cork by the consumer, blade style cork removers that require inserting a pair of blades between the cork and bottle, or air-pump cork removers that require a needle to be forced through the cork and air pumped into the bottle to increase pressure, and so on, is required of the consumer, and that adequate pulling forces are as easily applied as with conventional cork screws. The present invention satisfies these needs, as well as others, and overcomes the deficiencies of previously developed cork removal devices.
The foregoing needs are addressed by the present invention which generally comprises a specially designed anchor which is configured for insertion into a traditional cork stopper used in the wine industry, and an associated cork-pulling sleeve that replaces the traditional metal foil capsule used in the wine industry. The anchor and cork-pulling sleeve are configured such that rotation of the cork-pulling sleeve in relation to the bottle exerts an axial force on the anchor that extracts the cork stopper.
By way of example, and not of limitation, the anchor has a shaft that extends into the cork and an annular head that rests above or on top of the cork. The cork pulling sleeve has internal threads which mate with external threads on the outer surface of the neck of the bottle. In addition, the cork pulling sleeve has an annular rib or lip that engages the head of the anchor. Rotating the capsule in relation to the bottle causes axial pressure to be exerted on the head of the anchor resulting in extraction of the cork. This configuration enables the consumer to apply pulling forces just as large as those currently being used with prior art auxiliary cork screws, and further allows the wine producer to use conventional cork coatings that provide a good wine seal. In addition, the present invention will have little or no impact on the high-speed mechanized corking equipment widely used in the industry, and does not introduce means by which the wine can be contaminated.
An object of the invention is to provide for the easy and convenient removal of a cork from a bottle.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cork removal apparatus that can be easily packaged with a bottle.
Another object of the invention is to avoid the requirement that the consumer perform the operation of anchoring a pulling device to the cork.
Another object of the invention is to avoid the requirement that the consumer force a device through, into, or along the sides of the cork.
Another object of the invention is that the consumer only be required to perform a simple unscrewing operation in order to uncork the bottle.
Another object of the invention is that the consumer not be required, after uncorking a bottle, to unscrew a corkscrew or similar means from the cork.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cork removal apparatus that can be manufactured at a sufficiently low cost for use as a disposable cork removal device.
Another object of the invention is to provide a cork removal apparatus that can be employed with corks of various styles, compositions, and manufacture including natural corks, synthetic corks, agglomerated natural corks, and others.
Another object of the invention is to eliminate mishaps whereby the xe2x80x9ccork-screwxe2x80x9d mechanism of rapid cork removal devices pulls back out and of the cork while leaving the cork still in the bottle.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be brought out in the following portions of the specification, wherein the detailed description is for the purpose of fully disclosing preferred embodiments of the invention without placing limitations thereon.